Rescued
by setfiretothethirdbarxxx
Summary: Isabella Swan didn't come to Forks expecting to fall in love. Ashlyn Syrder never expected the one boy she's wanted would even look twice at her. Life is always unexpected, but there are some things in life that you that you can never even imagine.
1. Chapter 1

This was originally going to be joint POVs, but it ended up being told by my OC, however this first chapter is from Bella's POV.

Chapter One

I stood awkwardly at the entrance of the cafeteria, looking around for a place to sit. People were staring at me. My face flushed as I ducked my head and stepped at the end of the line of people getting food. I'd end up sitting alone, I could see that. I wasn't sure what was worse, sitting at a table where people would be staring at me, or sitting alone with the entire cafeteria staring at me.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" I turned my head and looked up at a pretty brunette girl who had gotten in line behind me.

"Bella," I said, nodding.

"Hi, I'm Ashlyn Stryder," the girl said, smiling. I was relieved her hear a name that wasn't too common in small towns. "I was supposed to help show you around, but I got to school late today. It appears you've found your way around so far."

I vaguely remembered that there was supposed to be someone showing me around. I figured the person had simply bailed and decided not to help me after all. Ashlyn did seem sorry she hadn't been around to help. I smiled shyly back at her.

"It's okay," I said, shrugging slightly. "Some people from my other classes have been helping."

"Good, I completely blanked this morning and forgot I was supposed to show you the school," said Ashlyn, grabbing a plate of fries and putting them on her tray. "My mom got called into work early this morning so I had to stay home with my little brother until the sitter got there."

I nodded and reached forward for an apple, setting it on my empty tray. Ashlyn as the nicest person I'd met all day. A girl from my Spanish and Trigonometry classes was sitting at a table full of people, definitely not where I wanted to be sitting.

"Hey, you want to sit with me?" Ashlyn asked, paying for her food. I quietly paid for the little food on my tray and looked at her in surprise. She smiled. "Don't worry, I don't usually sit with a huge group of people." She nodded at the table I'd been eying earlier.

I nodded. Sitting with someone was better than sitting alone. I followed her to a table in the corner of the cafeteria. Despite not being in the center of the room, people still managed to stare at me. Ashlyn rolled her eyes and opened her bottle of water.

"Ignore them," she said. "We don't exactly get new students that often. You're the most exiting thing to happen here all year. Give them a week and no one will even remember you haven't been going here that long."

I nodded and took a bite of my apple, looking back at the door to the cafeteria. My mouth fell open as the most attractive looking people I'd ever seen strode into the room. Ashlyn frowned at me and looked over her shoulder.

"Ah," she said in understanding.

"Who are they?" I asked, watching them get in the food line. Ashlyn turned around and cleared her throat.

"The Cullens," she said, looking at the tall, blond boy out of the corner of her eye. "They're Dr. and Mrs. Cullens kids. That's Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale," she nodded at a statuesque, gorgeous blond girl who was holding hands with a rather large dark haired boy. "Then there's Jasper Hale, Rosalie's twin brother," another nod at the dangerously attractive blond boy she'd been looking at. "Then there's Alice and Edward Cullen." Alice was a short girl with equally short dark hair. The last boy, Edward, was tall, not as big as his brothers though, with tousled bronze hair.

"Are they like...?" I trailed off, nodding at Emmett and Rosalie.

"Emmett and Rosalie are together," said Ashlyn, nodding. "The rest are single though. Jasper and Edward don't give any girls here a second glance though," she sighed, looking down quickly as Jasper's eyes flashed over to her.

"He's looking at you now," I muttered, looking at him as he slowly sat down. Ashlyn shook her head.

"Not like I want him to," she muttered quietly.

The first warning bell rang. I jumped in surprise. Ashlyn cursed under her breath and stood up. I glanced at the Cullens, all of whom had stood up. I watched Alice dump her full tray of untouched food into the garbage can and leave the room. In fact all the food on their trays hadn't been touched at all.

"They never eat," said Ashlyn. "They always buy food but they never eat any of it."

"Doesn't anyone say anything to anyone?" I asked, looking at her. Ashlyn shrugged.

"I'm sure they eat sometime," she said. "I mean, it's not like they're all anorexic or something." She watched Jasper leave the cafeteria. "So, what's your next class? I might as well to part of what I'm supposed to be doing."

I pulled out my schedule. "Biology," I said.

"All right, let's go," she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

I followed her out of the cafeteria, my mind still focused on Edward Cullen. He was the best looking boy I'd ever seen. The walk didn't take that long, Ashlyn paused at the door.

"Here we are, Biology," she said, leaning against the wall.

"Thanks," I said. She nodded.

"I'll see you later," she smiled at me again before heading off towards her class.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before walking into the classroom. I almost turned and walked back out. Edward Cullen was sitting at one of the lab tables.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"How's the new girl?"

I looked up at Emily Roberts, who had turned around in her seat and was staring at me intently. I set down my pencil and shrugged. Bella was generally a nice person, I hadn't spoken her to that long but she seemed nice enough. I knew this probably isn't what Emily wanted to hear.

"She's nice," I said, picking up my pencil again. "I didn't talk to her that much but she seemed nice enough. A little freaked out, but it is her first day."

"She noticed them, then?" Emily pressed, nodding to the back of the room where Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen were sitting. I glanced at them quickly before nodding.

"Of course she did," I muttered. "How can you _not_ notice the Cullens?"

Mr. Francis decided to stride into the room. I sighed and picked up my pencil. Calculus was not my favorite subject. I didn't hate math exactly, Mr. Francis was the reason why many people detested the class. He had his 'I'm tired of where everyone is sitting' looks. Emily rolled her eyes and me before turning to face the board.

Sure enough, Francis pulled out a brand new seating chart and looked around the room.

"All right," he said, pointing at the first desk by the door where Aaron Gunther was sitting. "Emily Roberts."

"I hate that seat," Emily muttered darkly, she grabbed her belongings and walked over to her new seat. She dropped her books onto the desk and fell into the seat, crossing her arms.

Francis continued on down the rows. Emmett ended up sitting at the end of the second row. He rolled his eyes at Jasper and strode to his seat. I opened my book and stared at the problems, I needed something to do while I waited for my name to be called or for someone to be assigned my current seat.

"Ashlyn Stryder," Francis said. I looked up to see where he was pointing. Fourth row, last seat. Jasper's seat. Or, his former seat, anyway.

I sighed and closed my book, swinging my bag over my shoulder. Jasper rose from his seat gracefully and moved back to let me have the seat. My face was beat red as I eased my way around him to sit down. I kept my eyes focused on the board as Mr. Francis continued to assign seats.

"Jasper Hale," he said, pointing to a seat in the fifth row. I couldn't tell where he was pointing. I watched Jasper clench his jaw and set his books down in the seat right next to me.

Emmett was staring at Jasper, a warning look in his eyes. I frowned and glanced at Jasper out of the corner of my eye. His eyes were closed and he hand one hand placed carefully over his nose and mouth. I turned my attention back to the front of the room, nervously biting my lip as Francis droned on about the homework assignment from last night.

I stared at the clock, watching as the minutes passed, bringing the end of the period closer. Ever since the Cullens had moved to Forks from Alaska, I'd wanted to get to know Jasper Hale. However, it had proved being nearly impossible. He, like the rest of his siblings, never paid attention to anyone else. Now here I was sitting right next to him, his reaction to this new arrangement put a damper on the moment.

The bell rang, causing several people to jerk awake. Jasper was already out of his seat, I never realized how _tall_ he was. He glanced down at me, then at Emmett, and fled the room at an almost un-human speed. I stood up slowly from my seat and glanced at Emmett's corner of the room. He stared at me for a moment, an emotion I couldn't read in his eyes. I looked down quickly, grabbed my books and left the room.

I spotted Bella coming out of her classroom, a slightly dazed look on her face. I pushed the events in Calculus out of my head as I approached her. She looked over at me as I reached her.

"How was Bio?" I asked as we started walking. Bella flushed and shrugged, keeping her eyes on the ground. I frowned. "Did something happen?"

"Do I small bad?" she asked, catching me completley off guard.

"No," I said in surprise. "Why?"

She shook her head. "No reason," she muttered. "It's just, I had to sit next to Edward Cullen in class. He was acting as if he were disgusted to be anywhere near me."

"Don't worry, you don't smell bad," I said. I decided that mentioning the similar event hat had occurred in Calculus with Edward's brother wouldn't be helping things. "Maybe he had a bad day, I'm sure his reaction had nothing to do with you."

She nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"What's your next class?" I asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Gym," Bella muttered. "I think I can find it."

I nodded. "I'll see you later then," I said, Bella nodded and headed off towards the gym. I sighed and started off towards physics. I stopped suddenly and looked over my shoulder; Alice Cullen was staring at me, a small secretive smile playing on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The rest of the day passed in a blur. It had been hard to focus in physics, it was a class I had with Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett hadn't acted any different, he leaned back in his seat, staring behind the teacher at the board like he always did. Rosalie, who normally at least pretended to pay attention had turned the attention that was usually paid to herself, onto me. She wasn't exactly glaring at me, but I knew that she wasn't happy with me.

I practically ran from the room when the bell finally rang. My book was in my locker and I was halfway to my car before half the students had gotten out of their classes. I curled my hands into fists as I pressed them against the door of my truck. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths before finally deciding that I was okay enough to drive without killing myself or anyone else.

"You all right, Ash?" I turned my head to see Ethan Armstrong, the star of the football and basketball team standing next to me. He also had been trying to get me out on a date since freshmen year, sure he was a nice guy, but I just didn't feel that spark with him. I couldn't help but quickly glance over his shoulder towards the Cullen car, Jasper was leaning against it, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for his family.

"Yeah, Ethan, I'm just a little tired," I said, shaking my head. I started digging in my bag for my keys, Ethan hadn't moved so I figured he was going to pull what he did practically every week, asking what I was doing over the weekend. I sighed and looked up at him. "Was there something else?"

Emmett had joined Jasper now, thumping his hand against Jasper's shoulder. I watched as Emmett muttered something and nodded in my direction. Jasper's head snapped around, he stared for a moment, taking in the situation. After a moment he frowned, turning completley towards us now, almost as he were waiting to hear what Ethan and I were saying, almost as if he were going to be able to hear it.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to see a movie in Port Angeles or something this weekend," said Ethan, snapping my attention away from Jasper. It took some effort not to make a face or roll my eyes.

"I don't know what I'm doing yet," I said, trying to sound sincerely sorry that I might not be able to do anything. "My mom's been working weird hours, so I might get stuck babysitting. You know Alex would never do it." Alex, my twin brother whom I would honestly do anything for, while a generally nice and honest guy, my mom didn't trust him to watch my younger brother alone. I was my mom's personal babysitter, to be used at her pleasure.

Ethan's face fell, Jasper looked smug. "Right," said Ethan nodded. "I get it, maybe another time then."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, nodding. Alex was walking towards us now, his face fell into a frown when he realized who I was talking to. For whatever reason, Alex had never liked Ethan. Most people would assume that because they were the two best athletes at the school they would be best friends. They just couldn't get along and neither of them tried too hard. Alex was always the perfect excuse of getting out of dates with Ethan.

Ethan turned his head and his cheerful face disappeared at once. He turned back to me and nodded in goodbye, wanting to get away before Alex approached. I sighed and leaned against my truck, turning my head back to Jasper. Alice had arrived now and was chatting adamantly to him. I looked away quickly when he glanced at me again.

"What did Armstrong want?" Alex demanded, throwing his bag in the bed of the truck. I could not wait until Alex's car got fixed, nothing was more annoying than having to wait for your jock brother to break away from the hordes of people who were fighting to say one word to him decide that it was time to leave.

"What he always wants," I said, rolling my eyes. I pulled my door open in annoyance before sliding into the driver's seat and shoving the key into the ignition. Alex climbed into the passenger's seat, slamming the door as I turned the key and the truck came to life. "Relax, I bullshitted some story about Mom working and that I might have to watch Aden."

Thankfully, Alex let it drop. I threw the truck in reverse and carefully backed out of the parking spot. I was trying not to think of the physics and calculus homework I had, normally it wouldn't bug me, but not paying attention to what was going on was going to cause my work to suffer. I tried to think of something else, anything else but Jasper Hale, which shoved my homework situation back into the forefront.

Mom wasn't home when I pulled into the driveway. Alex hopped out, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, we were never sure if Mom remembered to leave out money to pay the babysitter. Sometimes she did, usually she didn't. It never fazed Alex though, despite the fact that the sitter was there from about nine in the morning till we got home at 3:30, she wasn't paid very much. He pulled out tow twenties and opened the front door.

I sighed as I grabbed my bag, slamming the truck door. Alex as just handing the sitter the money when I closed the front door. Aden was asleep on the couch. I muttered a word of thanks to the sitter before starting up the stairs. The sooner I got homework out of the way, the better.

After an hour of trying to do it all right and another hour of just making up answers the looked somewhat like the examples I called it a night with the homework. I fell back against my pillows without bothering getting changed. Alex could stay up with Aden tonight, I'd done it for the past week and I was dead tired. I let my eyes flutter closed and almost instantly fell into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

There were only four people at the Cullen table the next day. I was so used to seeing five people I had to do a double take to figure out who was missing. I knew it was ridiculous, but I was thrilled to see that it wasn't Jasper. Edward, however, was gone from his usual seat on Emmett's right. I spotted Bella sitting at the table we had sat yesterday, looking glumly at the Cullens. I may not have cared if Edward were there, but it was evident that Bella did.

I quickly paid for my salad and water and joined Bella at the table. Even though this was only her second day, I could see that this could become a regular thing. She looked up in surprise when I sat my salad down onto the table, when she realized it was me her face relaxed and she smiled. I returned the smile as I lowered myself into the nearest chair.

"So, how was your first day?" I asked, opening the plastic container of my salad and picking up my fork. I was determined not to look at Jasper. Bella looked down at her food, pushing it around with her fork before looking up.

"It was okay," she said, shrugging. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, actually." She sent another look at the Cullen table.

"He's not here," I said, stabbing some lettuce with my fork. Bella looked at me in surprise. "I see him sometimes after gym, I didn't see him today."

"Oh," she said quietly. I glanced at the Cullen table now, Jasper was leaning back in his seat between Alice and Rosalie. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was staring right at me. I cleared my throat and looked away, shoving the forkful of salad into my mouth. Bella frowned and glanced quickly at the Cullens again. "He's looking at you again."

"I can see that," I said quietly, opening my water bottle. I could feel his eyes on me. Ignoring him would be easy if he wasn't so dangerously...dangerous. I was dreading calculus even more than usual, it would be another day of not knowing what the hell Francis was talking about. If he was staring at me in here, I was certain that he would later, especially because he now sits right next to me.

The bell rang, snapping both Bella and myself from our thoughts. I sighed as I closed my half-eaten salad and rising to my feet. I watched Jasper stand up and stride across the cafeteria, dumping his uneaten food into the garbage. He turned his head to look at me and, it happened so fast I was certain I'd imagined it, winked. I shook my head and muttered a farewell to Bella.

I tossed my salad away, stuffing my water bottle into my bag; I was certain that I'd need it later. I turned, fully prepared to head for the doors, and almost ran into Emmett Cullen, who was waiting for me to move to throw his food away. I stumbled slightly and he reached out instantly, fingers curling around my elbow to keep me from falling over completley. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, however it was to me because I'd had gym with him the year before where I'd fallen quite a few times. He'd never bothered helping me before. Before his brother had taken a sudden interest in me.

"Sorry," I muttered, my face flushing. Up close, Emmett wasn't as scary as he appeared. His size is what made him so intimidating. His face was actually kind now that I was close enough to actually get a good look at it. He stared at me for a second before his face relaxed into a grin. He seemed more like a teddy bear now than a grizzly with a bad attitude.

He shrugged, releasing my elbow when he was sure that I was balanced. "No problem," he said. He reached around me, easily tossing his food away. Rosalie appeared behind him, glaring at his back. He sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "Relax, babe," he spoke quietly to her before turning back to me, rolling his eyes. "See you in calculus."

I nodded and watched him turn around, sliding his arm around Rosalie's shoulder. She wasn't looking at him anymore, oh no, all her attention had been transferred to me. Emmett pulled her towards the door, trying to divert her attention from me. I sighed and started for the doors, I'd have to run to make it to class on time at this rate. I rubbed the elbow Emmett had grabbed, I'd been so surprised that he'd stopped me from falling that it had taken my brain a little longer to recognize how _cold_ his hand had been. I got cold hands every once in a while, but his hand was inhumanly cold, it was like ice.

After sprinting to my locker to grab my book and bursting through the door with seconds to spare, I managed to get to class on time. Mr. Francis gave me a look as I hurried to my seat in the back. I didn't need to look sideways to know what Jasper was looking at me. I was sure I looked just fantastic, my hair was plastered to my face.

The bell rang and Mr. Francis started rambling on about the homework from last night, but said he wouldn't be collecting it because it was our first night on that particular subject. He reached behind up and picked up a work sheet. I sighed and closed my eyes, no doubt it was more practice with yesterday's topic that I didn't understand.

"This worksheet is to be done with the person on your right," he said, walking over to Emily Roberts and setting a paper on her desk. He gestured with his pencil to from Emily to John Walsh, who was sitting on her right. He continued to do this, it was when he placed the paper on my desk and pointed at Jasper that it set in. I'd have to work on him with this, it was bad enough looking like an idiot to the teacher, but I was going to die of embarrassment when I looked stupid in front of Jasper.

I concentrated on writing our names on the paper as he slid his desk closer. He stopped when the edge of his desk touched the edge of mine. I sighed as I turned to look at him, it was better to warn him before hand that I had no clue what I was doing. Maybe I wouldn't look as dumb that way.

"Listen," I said, fighting to keep my voice from shaking. "I was...out of it yesterday and didn't listen to a word Francis said, so I basically have no clue what I'm doing."

I don't know what I'd been expecting him to do, but I definitely hadn't expected him to smile. He reached for the paper and slid it over so it now lay before him. I frowned as I watched him, his chest wasn't rising and falling like it was supposed to when someone was breathing. He seemed slightly stiffer than he had been at lunch. I listened for the sound of his breathing. I didn't hear anything.

"It's no problem," he said, shaking his head as he stared at he first problem on the worksheet. I hadn't heard him speak before. His voice was deep and smooth, not what I had been expecting. For some reason I'd expecting him to have a gruffer voice, the smoothness of it surprised me. He looked over me again, his eyes were warmer than they had been yesterday, but they were guarded at the same time. He laughed under his breath. "We haven't really met, have we? Officially, anyway?"

"N-no," I said, shaking my head. "Not officially."

He set down his pencil and extended his hand. "Jasper Hale," he said, his breathtaking smile was back. I smiled back and reached for his hand. I felt a jolt the second my hand touched his skin.

"Ashlyn Stryder," I said. We shook hands and after a moment he released my hand and reached for his pencil. I stared down at my hand, his hand had been as cold as Emmett's, but I knew that my hand hadn't jolted from the coldness. It had been caused by something else.

My mother had told me about when she and my dad met. How she'd felt a spark when their hands had bumped while reaching for the same item. The jolt I felt seemed sort of like that. My parents had been head over heels for all of my life, right up until the car accident that had killed my dad. I knew that my mom was still in love with my dad, not even his death could stop that.

I tried not to get my hopes up that the jolt meant something. I crossed my arms and watched as Jasper reached for his pencil and started working on the first problem. He was going to do the whole thing himself. I did feel bad about that, but I wasn't going to be any help to him. It didn't seem to bother him, though. I was sure that he knew what he was doing, it didn't take him long to complete the five problems. Less than twenty minutes.

I stared at the clock, we had a little more than half of the period left. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and rolled my pencil from my right hand to my left. Jasper slid the worksheet to the corner of his desk and crossed his arms.

"I saw you talking to Armstrong yesterday," he said suddenly after more than five minutes of silence. I looked at him in surprise, I'd known he had seen Ethan and I talking, but I was surprised by the fact he was bringing it up. What was it to him?

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that," I said, stopping my pencil from rolling off the edge of the desk. I wasn't sure where this conversation was going. I cleared my throat, I didn't know what was making me continue, but I'd waited almost an entire year for him to speak to me. Now that he was, I wasn't ready to let it end. "He was wondering what I was doing this weekend."

To my relief, Jasper didn't seem to find it odd that I was still talking. He nodded and glanced towards Emmett, who was now watching Jasper carefully. Emmett had a warning look on his face, Jasper frowned and nodded curtly. It was as if they were communicating silently. Jasper let out a breath sharply. I looked away then, I felt as if I were listening on someone's private conversation.

I leaned back in my seat and stared at the clock. We were closer to the end of the period now and it was evident that the conversation had ended. I sighed and looked around the room to see most of the pairs still working. I had absolutely nothing else to do, so I continued my game of rolling my pencil between my hands.

Jasper cleared his throat. I glanced over at him in confusion. "Have you decided what you're doing for the history project yet?" he asked, looking up from his hands, which were folded neatly in front of him. If it was anyone else, it would sound like they were trying to force conversation. With Jasper it sounded natural.

"Nope, not yet," I said, shaking my head. Mr. Muller had decided to give a pretty major project over any subject in history of our choice. Partners were optional. Suggested, but optional. "You?"

"I was thinking about the Civil War," he replied, a smile tugging the edges of his mouth. I nodded, easy enough. "Are you working with someone?"

"I don't think so," I said. "A few people have asked but they were all the slackers, so I know they were going to stick me with all the work."

He cleared his throat again. "Are you completley opposed to working with someone else, then?" He sounded slightly nervous now.

"Not if it's the right person, no," I said, surprised by my sudden boldness. I had an idea where this was going, but I still didn't want to look stupid if I was completley wrong.

"Would would you say if I asked you?" I was suddenly feeling nerves I knew didn't belong to me. I stared at him for a moment before smiling, pushing the nerves to the back of my mind.

"I'd say you were the right person."


	5. Chapter 5

WANTED-Hot Empathic Vampire: Ashlyn was born and raised in Forks, so yes, she was there before the Cullens.

Chapter 5  
Jasper

I ignored the disappointed look Rosalie was sending in my direction. She was already in a bad mood because Edward had come back to school to deal with the person who had driven him away in the first place. Bella Swan had given Edward the shock of his life.

I did have a similar situation, only I had managed to stick around rather than take the cowardly way out and run. Edward rolled his eyes has he took in what I was thinking. My mouth curved into a smug smile.

My head whipped around when her scent filtered into the room. Rosalie let out a low hiss. Alice kicked her underneath the table.

"Don't," she said, frowning at Rosalie. Alice had been thrilled that she had finally seen me with someone. She wasn't about to let Rose's bad attitude ruin it. Even Edward shook his head at her.

"It's ridiculous," said Rosalie angrily. She looked between Edward and I. "For either of them to even consider---"

"Drop it," said Emmett, catching Rose off guard. "They've been alone for years, Rose. Let them at least give it a shot."

It didn't take long for Rosalie to recover. "They're human," she hissed through her teeth. "This is dangerous for all of us, not just them." She gestured from Bella to Ashlyn. "Alice has already seen how this all turns out."

Alice looked away. "I've been wrong before," she said quietly, her upbeat mood quickly changing to sadness and even some guilt. She peered at Rosalie. "I've already been wrong about this situation. The first time Edward and Jasper actually encountered them I saw---" she cringed. "I saw the two of them dead."

Edward and I winced at the thought. I stood up then, I didn't need to hear anymore. I had already decided that I was never going to harm Ashlyn. Maybe I was never going to be able to prevent Alice's second vision of her coming true, but I knew that I wasn't going to do what Alice had seen originally.

"What are you doing?"

I looked down at Rosalie. "Breaking the rules," I said before turning and striding across the cafeteria. I could feel the shock of my family as I walked.

Ethan Armstrong stopped dead in his tracks when he realized I was headed in the same direction he was. To Ashlyn, who was still standing in line to get food. I smiled smugly as I took in his emotions. Ashlyn's brother was sitting at a table to my left with his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face. He didn't like Armstrong anymore than I did.

I slid into the line right behind her. Feeling my family, and most of the people in the cafeteria, staring at me in disbelief as I bent down, my lips at her ear.

"I'd go with the apple," I said quietly into her ear. She gasped and jumped in surprise. When she realized who it was she relaxed and laughed quietly. I smiled. "I'm sorry I frightened you."

"It's fine," she said, glancing up at me. "So, the apple, huh?" I smiled as she reached for one and set it on her tray. I laughed out loud when I noticed and felt Armstrong's jealously.

"What are you laughing it?" Ashlyn frowned up at me. I nodded in Ethan's direction. She followed my gaze and frowned. She sighed in annoyance and looked away.

"I think he's upset with me," I said as she paid for her food.

"He's been hoping that I'll ask him to that dance," she said, rolling her eyes. "You know that girls' choice thing this weekend?"

I nodded, vaguely remembering hearing about it.

"I take it that you're not going to ask them, then?" I asked as we stepped out of line.

"He's a nice guy," she admitted as she set her tray at an empty table, "but no. I'm not going to ask him. I think Alex's head would explode if I did."

She looked slightly startled when I sat down next to her, but she didn't say anything. I glanced around for Bella, who was sitting with a large group today. Ashlyn, though I knew she had friends, rarely sat with anyone.

It was something I'd noticed at once. It made her stand out. A fairly popular girl choosing to be alone. I'd have to ask Edward if he'd ever heard why this was in her thoughts.

"Skipping the dance completley, then?" I asked, glancing at my family. Rosalie was, of course, looking at her reflection. Edward and Emmett were talking quietly though I knew they were listening, Edward in more ways than one. Alice was staring straight at us, a smile on her face.

Ashlyn shrugged, taking a bite of her apple. "Haven't really decided."

"There must be someone you'd want to ask," I pressed. Her face flushed than and cleared her throat. I smiled in silent victory.

"Maybe," she muttered, glancing up at me. Her eyes were a piercing emerald green. She opened her mouth, then closed it almost instantly, shaking her head.

"What?" I asked, knowing that she had been about to say something.

"Nothing," she said, embarrassment rolling off her. "It's stupid."

"I promise not to laugh," She looked up t me again, seeing that I was being honest.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"I know we haven't been...whatever it is that we are that long," she started, not looking me in the eye as she spoke. She took a breath before continuing. "This is probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever done, but---"

"Ashlyn," I said, using her name for the first time in front of her. She glanced up, still embarrassed. I smiled. "Would you like to go to the dance on Saturday?" I winked. "You can tell people that you asked me if anyone asks."

She stared at me in shock for a moment before recovering. "Well, when you put it like that," she said, a sly smile on her face. "How can I say no?"

I smiled in victory. The bell rang. I stood up as Ashlyn picked up her tray and rose from her seat. I followed her as she walked to the trash can and dumped her garbage. I glanced over my shoulder to see Armstrong glaring at me. I reached down for Ashlyn's hand, smiling smugly at him. Ashlyn seemed surprised by this action, but one look over her shoulder caused her to understand.

"This isn't just for his benefit, you know," I muttered into her ear. Ashlyn was staring at our intertwined hands, her face slightly flushed. My jaw clenched when I realized that she was taking in the radical difference in temperature from my hand to hers. Suspicion rose and I have her hand a squeeze. Rosalie was staring at us in complete shock; I'd broken another rule and no doubt would get my ear chewed off about it later.

I allowed Ashlyn to tow me to her locker. She reluctantly released my hand to do her combination and grab her books. I glanced down the hall, Edward and Bella's class was just down the hall. Edward was making his way down the hall when he looked up, sensing that I was there. He frowned at me, not because I was with Ashlyn, he had accepted that. He was more upset by the fact that I'd allowed physical contact. His face said it all.

_I wasn't thinking, sorry._

Edward nodded before walking into his classroom. Ashlyn slammed her locker shut and glanced up at me. I cleared my throat and forced my mouth into a smile.

"Ready?" I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets. She was disappointed that I hadn't taken her hand again. She nodded and I led the way to Calculus. Emmett was standing outside the door, waiting for me. Ashlyn must have realized this, she glanced between Emmett and myself before walking into the room.

"Rose's pissed," said Emmett, his arms were crossed over his chest. I sighed and leaned against the wall next to him. "She thinks it was a dumb idea to grab her hand. Edward heard her thoughts, she's suspecting something."

"I know," I said, running my hands over my face in frustration. "I wasn't thinking. Armstrong was getting on my nerves and I just want him---"

"I get it, Jazz," said Emmett, looking over at me. "I get why you did what you did. Just be a little more careful. She's not an idiot, she's already noticed the eye thing; Edward heard her. From the sounds of it, Bella's suspecting something too. It's not going to take long for the two of them to work it out."

I nodded curtly. Emmett looked at me for a few more seconds until he realized that I understood the warning. He turned and walked into the classroom with me on his heels. The bell rang just as I lowered myself into my desk.

Ashlyn was looking at me. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. Her suspicion had grown, no doubt Emmett wanting to have a talk with me fueling the fire. I sighed and looked down. An idea had been placed in her head and there wouldn't be any going back now. Ashlyn would figure it out; there was no question about that. The only question was, how long would it take?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jasper was back sitting with his family the next day. I couldn't help but be disappointed by this. Glancing around the room, I spotted Bella sitting alone. I paid for the little food I had and made my way over to her.

"Not sitting with your friends today?" I asked, plopping down onto the seat next to her. She shook her head.

"Too crowded," she said, looking up at me. "Besides, we are friends, aren't we?" Her face flushed as she spoke.

"Course we are," I said, glancing at the Cullen table. Two sets of eyes were staring today. I smirked. "Edward Cullen is staring at you."

Bella glanced over at the Cullens. She stared for a moment before looking back at me, an identical smirk on her own face. "Jasper Hale is staring at you."

I laughed. "So he is," I said, opening my soda can.

I had known from the second when the Cullens had moved here that was something different about them. It was impossible not to, yet it seemed as if I was the only person who had really paid attention. Until now. From the way Bella stared at Edward, she must have noticed how his eyes changed color. All of theirs did, from the exact same two colors. Black to golden brown. Always.

Jasper and Emmett's skin was inhumanly cold. Like they spend hours on end in ice water. I stole a glance at Jasper. His chest was rising and falling like it was supposed to when a person breathes, but it didn't always. Sometimes he could go minutes, entire class periods without breathing. My eyebrows came together in concentration.

Another thing leapt to mind. Sunlight. There weren't many sunny days in Forks, but on those rare occasions the Cullens disappeared. Not just the kids, the doctor and his wife did too. I sipped my soda, looking down at the food in front of me. The Cullens never ate anything either, yet they never seemed to look any different. Never gaining or loosing any weight.

Edward's jaw had clenched. He spoke to his family through his teeth. Whatever he was saying didn't seem to faze Alice. She continued to pick at her food, not even bothering to look up. Emmett's arms were crossed over his muscular chest, shaking his head at Jasper, whose expression I couldn't see. He had leaned forward, his forehead resting against the palm of his hand, fingers intertwined in this hair. The hand that remained on the table was clenched into a fist. Rosalie was furious, her glare directed right at me. Almost as if she could hear my thoughts, or was being told what I was thinking.

Edward abruptly stopped talking.

I didn't say anything to jasper when he slid into the desk next to me. I slid my part of the history paper onto his desk and opened my book. He looked slightly surprised that I hadn't at least said hello to him. He slid the papers into his notebook silently. I couldn't help but notice the sadness etched into his eyes.

I made my way out to my truck alone when school finally ended. I spotted Bella by her ancient and slightly rusted truck. She was looking over her shoulder at Edward. I felt Jasper's gaze on me. I walked quickly to my truck. I dug around in my bag for my keys.

"Are you upset with me?" I dropped my keys in shock. Jasper was standing in front of me, my keys in his hand, arm extended. I sighed, not realizing how rude I must have come off.

"No," I said honestly, holding out my hand. He dropped my keys into my palm. "I just have a lot on my mind, I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth to respond, looking relieved when a screeching noise sliced through the air. We both spun around, startled by the sudden and loud noise. Tyler Crowley's van had hit a slick patch of the lot, causing him to loose control. I watched in horror as the van skidded right towards Bella.

Jasper's hand was on my shoulder suddenly and my fear subsided, almost vanished. Bella had turned around and was staring at the approaching van, a mix of surprise and fear on her face. Just when the van should have slammed into her, it stopped. Glass popped as it came to a halt. Edward Cullen was between Bella and the van. The door had been smashed in, my mouth fell open when I noticed that Edward's hand was pressed against it.

I looked at Jasper, he was surprised too. His jaw was clenched, but his eyes were wide. They narrowed after a moment and his grip on my shoulder tightened.

"How…?" I glanced back at the scene. Edward had disappeared. "Did you…? How did he…?"

Jasper's hand disappeared from my shoulder and my anxiety returned instantly. "I'll pick you up tomorrow. Dance, you know," said Jasper, already walking towards the rest of his family, all of whom were staring at the scene looking staggered. I stared at him, my mouth still hanging open.

"Holy shit!" crowed Alex, walking over to me. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah," I said, watching the Cullens tear out of the parking lot, wheels screeching on the pavement. "It was something, all right."

"How did it not hit her though?" he asked, climbing into the truck. He hadn't seen Edward. I frowned. "I meant, it was heading right for her."

"Maybe he swerved at the last minute," I suggested, getting into the drivers seat and starting the truck. I pulled out of my spot as Alex thought this theory over.

"Yeah, maybe," he said after a moment. "He was going pretty fast, though."

He continued to talk about the almost accident the whole way home. I nodded my head whenever he paused, but I mostly tuned him out. I couldn't get the image of Edward stopping the van with nothing more than his hand or Jasper's reaction to it out of my head.

My cell phone rang loudly, pulling me from my thoughts. I pulled into the driveway before answering. Alex hopped out of the truck and strode into the house.

"Hello?" I said, putting the truck in park.

"How can you not tell me that you asked Jasper Hale to the dance tomorrow?" I sighed. It figures that Emily Roberts would know that, "or that he said yes?"

"I don't know, Em," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder before pushing open the door. "Slipped my mind, I guessed."

"What are you wearing?" she demanded. I rolled my eyes as I walked into the house. Honestly, I didn't know yet. This sort of dance was more casual that Homecoming or prom.

"Haven't thought about it," I waved to the sitter before climbing up the stairs.

"Ooh! Wear those skinny jeans you have, they make your ass look good." I tossed my bag onto my bed and opened my closet the jeans in question. I grabbed them and tossed them onto the bed.

"All right, Sherlock, what about a top?"

Silence.

"How about that silk, corset thing you have?" she suggested. "It's sexy."

I hesitated. "Maybe a little _too_ sexy," I said slowly.

"Do you want this guy or not?"

I sighed and grabbed the corset, stared at it for a moment, before giving in and adding it to the pile. "Fine, you win."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you later, Em." I hung up the phone before she could respond. I set my phone on my desk before falling onto my desk chair and opening the browser on my computer. I went to Google.

I sighed in annoyance; I didn't know what exactly I needed to search for. I closed my eyes and went over my thoughts again. Cold skin, doesn't go into sunlight, never eats or drinks anything, changing eye color. I threw in the strength and speed. I opened my eyes, those could lead to a few things, but one immediately came to the forefront. I typed in one word into the search engine.

_Vampire._

**I know it seemed sort of early for Ashlyn to be piecing things together, but please keep in mind that she had seen the Cullens longer than Bella and therefore would have noticed some things about them before. She was already suspecting that something was going on with them. It's only natural that she'd begin to piece things together sooner.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Jasper

"She knows," said Edward, shaking his head. I was parked outside Ashlyn's house, preparing to go and pick her up. Edward had come with to see if she'd figured out anything else. She obviously had. "She pieced it together; even did some research on it."

I sighed. "She wouldn't have bothered if you hadn't been Superman yesterday," I said, frowning. Edward glanced at me, surprised. I took a breath. "She saw you stop the van."

He cursed under his breath. He leaned back, resting his head against the headrest, eyes closed. "Bella suspects something, too," he admitted. "It's only a matter of time before Ashlyn tells her or she figures it out on her own," he paused, opening one eye. "She's going to call you out on it, you know."

I nodded, glancing at the clock. "You'd better go," I said, opening the door. "Might as well face the music."

Edward was gone by the time I rang the doorbell. The only car in the driveway was Ashlyn's truck, her mother wasn't home. The door opened. I turned to see Alex standing in the doorway, a small child no more than two hugging his leg.

He looked at me in confusion before he remembered why I was there. "Oh yeah," he said, moving sideways to let me through. "Come in."

I stepped into the house and looked around. It was a nice place. I heard Alex pick up the child and close to door.

"You can have a seat," he offered, gesturing at the sofa. "She'll be down in a second."

I nodded and seat down. The child looked at me then glanced at Alex, his head cocked to the side.

"Who that?" he asked.

"Jasper," said Alex, rolling his eyes at me. I smiled. "He's taking Ash out tonight, remember?"

"No. Down!" Alex sighed and set the child on his feet. He wasted no time, dashing into the kitchen. Alex rolled his eyes again.

"Aden," he said, flopping down in the arm chair. "Young brother. Mom had this weird thing that her kids' first names all had to start with the same letter."

I looked at the entryway now. Ashlyn stood awkwardly, taking in the scene. My eyes darkened slightly. She was wearing jeans tucked into a pair of thigh-high boots. A black leather jacket was slung over her arm. It went perfectly with the black corset she had on.

"Hi," she said walking into the room. Alex's eyes narrowed as he took in what she was wearing, but he didn't say anything.

At the sound of his sister's voice, Aden ran back into the living room. When he spotted Ashlyn, he made a b-line for her. She smiled, sweeping him up into her arms and bringing him to rest on her hip. The corset slid a little lower.

"You be good, all right?" she said, looking Aden square in the eye. The love she felt for him was astounding. Aden nodded and she kissed the top of his head before setting him down. She glanced at Alex as she slid her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. "I'll be back later."

Alex nodded as I rose to my feet. I opened the door behind me. Ashlyn stared at the red BMW parked in her driveways. She looked at me over her shoulder, eyebrows raised.

I smiled. "It's Rosalie's," I explained, walking around the car and opening the passenger's side door.

Ashlyn slid into the car. "And she let you use it?" she asked as I closed her door and walked around to the driver's side.

"Not sure if she knows it's gone yet," I winked and started the car, backing out of the driveway.

She was fighting with herself now, no doubt wondering how to begin. I took a breath, ready to relieve some of the pressure from her.

"I know," I said. She looked at me, startled. "I know that you know."

"How?" she asked.

"Edward," I shrugged. "He's been keeping tabs on your thoughts. He guessed that you would figure it out sooner or later."

"Kept tabs on my thoughts?" she repeated. "W-What, he…reads minds, or something?"

I nodded.

"Is that like a," she paused to take a deep breath, "vampire thing? I mean, can you…?"

"No," I shook my head. "It's just Edward."

"Does anyone else in your family have," she tried to think of the right word, "special abilities?"

I made a right turn before answering. "Alice has visions," I said finally. "The visions are subjective, based on what people decide. They change their minds, the vision changes."

"What about you?" she asked. "Can you do anything?"

I reached over and placed my hand lightly on her thigh. The nervousness she was feeling disappeared, clam taking its place.

"Oh," she breathed, staring down at my hand. "So you---?"

"Manipulate emotions," I said, a smile on my face. "I'm an empath. I can feel what you're feeling and change it. I could clam down an entire room if I ever needed to."

She slowly moved her hand over mine, watching my face to see my reaction. I welcomed the warmth. My eyes hardened when her fingers brushed one of my scars.

Keeping her eyes on my face, moderating my expression, she slowly pushed the sleeve of my sweater up my arm. She let out a gasp of surprise when she noticed that they went all the way up my arm. I expected her to be disgusted, to shove my arms away. She didn't.

Her fingers lightly traced my scars. "What happened?" she asked quietly. I closed my eyes and pulled over to the side of the road.

"I haven't been with my family for my entire…existence," I started slowly. "I was part of an extremely different group…who fed on humans."

"So, what do you eat now?" I was still surprised that she hadn't run off yet. Maybe her research had prepared her.

"Animals, its why our eyes are topaz after we've fed," I explained. "If we feed off humans, our eyes would be scarlet."

"So you got these before…finding the Cullens?"

I nodded, afraid to tell her my story. I was afraid that it would really scare her away. She gave my hand a squeeze and I knew then that she wasn't going anywhere.

"I was born in Houston Texas in 1843," I started, shock spiked among the clam I was still forcing onto her. "I was sixteen when I enlisted in the Confederate Army. I was tall for my age, so the recruiters believed me when I said I was eighteen. It didn't take me long to rise in the ranks. By the time I was twenty I was a major. A battle was going to come close to a smaller city, it was up to me to help evacuate. I didn't leave until I knew for a fact that the town was completely empty. I was probably about five miles outside the city when I came across three girls. I just assumed they were stragglers. I dismounted to help them. They took one look at me and they seemed interested in me right away.

"The smallest one had the most, though. She spoke fondly of me, despite not knowing who I was. I do remember them telling the smallest, Maria, to it if she wanted to keep me…" My voice trailed off. Ashlyn waited patiently for me to continue. "I was introduced to me new life three days later. At the time, there were territorial disputes among vampires in the South.

"Maria was interested in getting some of her territory back. She started building an army of newborn vampires. She favored me and put me in charge of my own…troops. I suppose that's what you'd call them."

"How did you…" she trailed off, thinking.

"Newborns are almost impossible to control," I said as she continued to trace the outlines of my scars. "They don't like being controlled like that."

Realization seemed to set in. "So they would, like, attack you?"

"Our venom is the only thing that can mark our skin."

"You didn't stay with Maria, though," she said, looking up from my hand. "You left."

I nodded. "I became depressed and went on my own way after a while. It wasn't until 1948 that I found Alice. We joined the Cullens two years later."

She frowned. "So, the venom is what…"

"Yeah, it's what makes a person a vampire," I said, nodding. "Its very painful."

Her eyes narrowed. "Sounds like a warning," she said. I shrugged at least she seemed to understand that. I glanced at the clock.

"We'd better get going," I gently pulled my hand from her's and pulled back onto the road.

"It doesn't matter, you know," she said. I kept my eyes on the road. "I don't care that you're a vampire. I don't care that you've killed people. I trust you."

She wasn't lying. I looked over at her, her face was determined. "You shouldn't," I said softly. "I don't trust myself around you. I'm the only one in my family who hasn't survived on animals for their entire existence. If you were to a mere paper cut around me---" I clenched my jaw, unable to finish my sentence.

"Jasper," said Ashlyn. "I trust you. I know that you can stay in control."

I found a spot closest to the school and parked. There would be no last attempt at talking her out of this. I could feel exactly what she felt for me. I reached over and took her hand. It was then I realized that I hadn't wanted to talk to out of it. Her faith in me was extraordinary.

She linked her fingers with mine and gave my hand a squeeze. "Let's go," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "The whole school will probably die of shock seeing a Cullen at a dance. It'll be the talk of the night."

I took the opportunity to get out of the car and open her door when she looked down. She stared at me in shock. I smiled, holding out my hand, "Then let's give them something to talk about."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The gym looked even worse than I'd pictured it. The decorations for the dances were always completely ridiculous, but this was the worst I'd ever seen. The colors were giving me a headache. I was too busy staring at the decorations with disgust that I barely noticed Jasper slide my jacket down my arms. I looked over my shoulder at him. He merely smiled down at me before setting the jacket on the nearest bleacher.

"Little hot in here," he said, laughing. "I didn't want you to get overheated, that's all."

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm quite certain that was the only reason. My top has absolutely nothing to do with it."

He shrugged. "Maybe a little," he admitted, glancing around. His eyes stopped suddenly and I felt his arm slide around my waist. I followed his gaze, though I was certain I already knew who he'd seen. Ethan was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Play nice," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. "I doubt he'll come anywhere near me tonight, anyway. He's not completely stupid, you know."

"Sure about that?" Jasper asked, eyes still locked on Ethan. I sighed and looked around, Emily was standing at the punch bowl, and she waved excitedly when she spotted me. I waved back and slid my free hand into my pocket. I looked up at Jasper.

"We don't have to stay very long," I said, taking another look at the horrid decorations. "I normally skip these things because of how stupid they are."

"I think thirty minutes would be enough time to mark an appearance, don't you?" he said, finally looking away from Ethan. He laughed when I made a face at the idea, it was thirty more minutes than I had wanted, but it would be stupid to walk in and then walk right back out. He grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the dance floor as a slower song started.

"Oh no!" I said, trying to pull my hand free. He ignored my plea, continuing to pull me along. "Seriously, Jasper, I can't dance."

"At all?" he asked, spinning me around to face him once we were on the edge of the dance floor.

"I took lessons for like, ballet and stuff when I was a kid," I said, shrugging, "but I haven't really _danced_ in years."

"Relax," he said, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. "It's just high school. It's not like anyone can dance much better."

I gave in, sliding my arms around his neck. He lifted me up slightly, so my feet were on top of his. I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes as we swayed to the music. Jasper stiffened for a moment, before relaxing. I felt his cool lips against my bar shoulder. If it had been anyone else, I would have demanded to get off the floor and leave. After the first song ended and melted into another, slower song, I didn't. After, I'd lost count of how many songs, a faster song started, snapping me out of whatever it was that I'd been in.

Jasper checked his watch. "It's been exactly thirty-five minutes," he announced as we stepped off the floor. "I believe we're over the limit."

I laughed, walking over to the bleachers to grab my coat. "And we're both still alive," I said, sliding my arms through the sleeves. "Amazing isn't it?" He laughed. "What time is it?"

"Little after nine," he said, taking my hand and leading me outside. I sighed, it was still early, but there was nothing to do in Forks, which meant the night was coming to an end. I didn't like that idea; I wasn't ready to leave Jasper yet.

He seemed to sense that, he gave my hand a squeeze as he opened the door to the BMW. I got in the car and watched as he walked around the front of the car and get into the driver's side. We sat in silence for a moment. He glanced at me.

"Another thing about vampire is," he started; I raised my eyes to his face, "that we don't sleep."

"You mean there are no coffins at your house?" I asked, sounding generally upset by this fact. He laughed and shook his head.

"Disappointing, I know," he said, starting the engine. I spotted Ethan coming out of the door to the gym.

"Go," I said, Jasper glanced at me in confusion before following my gaze. "Don't do anything, just go, please."

Jasper threw the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot just as Ethan spotted us. We were out of the lot before Ethan could take a step towards us. I sighed in relief; I'd have to deal with him on Monday. It seemed impossible that Jasper would be able to keep him away all day. Jasper's hands were gripping the wheel so tightly, I was afraid he'd break it. I reached over and placed my hand on his leg. He relaxed slightly.

With Jasper's driving, we pulled into my driveway in record time. I sighed and stared at the light coming from the living room window. Alex was probably sitting in his chair, waiting. He was worst than a father sometimes, I knew he meant well, but he sometimes treated me like I was eight rather than eighteen.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and looked over at Jasper. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. He grabbed my hand and I felt myself begin to calm down. It was helping, but it would only last as long as he was there. The minute he left I'd go back to the sadness and slightly anxiety. I pushed open the car door and looked at Jasper over my shoulder.

"I'll see you later, then," I said. Jasper nodded and leaned forward slowly. He hesitated for a moment before pressing his lips against my cheek.

My face flushed as Jasper pulled away. I heard him laugh softly as I fought to get my breathing back to normal. I muttered another breathless goodbye before getting out of the car and stumbling to the front door.

Alex was sitting on the couch with Aden asleep on his lap when I walked inside. He looked up as the door swung closed.

"How was it?" he asked. I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms.

"Decorations were horrible, as usual," I said, shrugging. "Wasn't bad overall, though. Ethan was pissed, in case you were wondering."

Alex smiled. "So, are you and Jasper, like," he cleared his throat, "together now?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah," I said. "We are. I'm exhausted, so I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

I started up the stairs before he could respond. Sighing in relief, I kicked off my boots after closing my bedroom door. I grabbed my pajamas and ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

A car slammed as I stepped out of the shower. I rolled my eyes, running a comb through my hair. I threw on my pajamas and stepped into the hallway as my mother came up the stairs.

"Hey, baby," she said, sounding tired. "How was the dance?"

"As good as dances usually are," I said, shrugging.

"One of the Cullen boys took you, right?"

"Yeah, Jasper."

"Which one is Jasper again?" Her head tilted to the side like Aden's did when he was trying to figure something out. I fought the effort to roll my eyes. My mother had always been more interested in my social life than anything else.

"The blond one," I said, crossing my arms. "Listen, Mom, I'd love to talk, but I'm really tired. I'll see you tomorrow." If I was lucky.

"All right, honey," she said, stepping forward to place a kiss on my forehead. "We'll talk tomorrow."

I watched her disappear into her bedroom before going back to my room as Alex stumbled up the stairs. I shut my door, fully prepared to fall onto my bed. It seemed like a good idea, except that Jasper was currently sitting on it.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, certain that Jasper was preventing the shock that I knew I would normally be feeling at finding someone I really liked sitting in my bedroom.

"The window," he said simply. "I drove home to drop off the BMW, almost got my head ripped off, by the way, and ran back." He winked. "I could feel that you weren't quite ready to say goodbye yet."

"Wait, you _ran_ back?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"You saw how fast Edward moved yesterday," he said. "You didn't think he was the only one who could move that fast, did you?"

"No," I said, my face flushing. "I just forget that detail, sorry. I've had a lot of stuff thrown at me, you know. I can't remember everything."

He ignored that as he rose to his feet. I still couldn't believe that he was actually standing in my bedroom. He pulled back the covers on my bed and looked at me over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised. I glanced at the clock; it was later than I thought. I walked to my bed and slowly lowered myself onto it. He threw the covers back over me when I was lying down. I saw him glance at the window.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" I asked, sitting up. He looked at me in surprise, the tone of my voice throwing him off.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked, sounding stunned. I bit my lip and nodded. He threw another wary glance at the window.

"Jasper," I said softly. "Stay. Please."

He paused for a moment, taking in what I was feeling. He stood there less than five second before flipping off my lights and sliding into bed next to me, on top of the covers. I looked up at him as I leaned forward, resting my head against his stone, cold chest. He stiffened for a moment before his arms wrapped around me.

It would be just my luck if my mother decided to wake me up tomorrow morning to finish our talk. Normally, I would see my mother in the morning before school if I woke up early enough and, if she came home early enough, before I went to bed. Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant, hopefully, that she'd sleep most of the day in an effort to catch up on all the sleep she missed during the week. I prayed that tomorrow would be no different, I was certain she'd have a problem with finding a guy in my bed.

My eyes fluttered as Jasper's hand traveled lightly up and down my back. I felt his lips on my forehead. I snuggled further into his chest. It wasn't as comfortable as my pillow or even as I was certain that a human's chest would be, but I had no desire to move. I was right where I wanted to be.

I woke up the next morning alone. I shot up and looked around, panicked. Jasper was no where to be found. My heart sank when I realized that he was gone. I fell backwards onto my pillows, closing my eyes. I heard my window closed and my bed dip. My eyes snapped open; Jasper was sitting on the edge of my bed. I sat up, glaring at him.

"You left," I said, accusingly.

"I had to change my clothes," he said, rolling his eyes. "Alice would have killed me for even thinking of wearing the same outfit more than once."

I calmed down, changing clothes made sense. I looked down, embarrassed. He reached forward, grabbing my chin lightly and forcing me to look at him. He didn't have to say anything, it was written on his face.

"I was just scared," I admitted, shaking my head. "I didn't…you were here last night and you gone this morning…sorry."

"Don't be," he said, softly. "I should have told you I was leaving, I didn't think about your reaction."

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He caught on and sat back for a moment, thinking.

"Would you like to meet my family?" he asked, looking up. I was caught off guard by that. I hadn't expected meet his family so soon. I bit my lip, hesitating.

"I...don't think Rosalie would like that very much," I said slowly. "She doesn't like me very much, am I right?"

"She has nothing against you personally," said Jasper, shaking his head. "She's always had the hardest time coming to terms with what she is. She's jealous of you because you're still human; to be human again is the one thing Rosalie wants most. Everyone else is excited to meet you, especially Alice."

I thought that over. The only person I was truly worried about was Rosalie, I felt slightly better knowing that her hatred of me wasn't personal. I sighed and fell back against my pillows, blowing a piece of hair out of my face. Jasper moved suddenly, moving from the edge of my bed to leaning over me, his hands on either side of my head. He rested his forehead against mine as I stared up at him, eyes glued to his face.

"Please," he whispered, turning his head to speak in my ear. "They all really want to meet you. I promise, Rosalie will be on her best behavior." His nose skimmed along my collarbone. My eyes fluttered closed as he lightly pressed his lips to my pulse point. I moved my arms to his shoulders, trying with little effort to push him off. He looked at me in confusion.

"Let me get dressed," I said, giving in. He smiled, victorious. He moved back to his seat on the edge of the bed. I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and stood up, my legs shaking slightly. I heard Jasper laugh; I threw a glare at him over my shoulder. "It's your fault, you know."

I walked over to my closet, grabbing a pair of jeans right away. I set them on my desk as I filtered through my shirts. I didn't know if I wanted to go for casual or something fancier. Jasper appeared behind me; I looked at him over my shoulder, eyebrows raised. He reached forward, grabbing a long-sleeved light blue V-neck. He tossed the shirt on top of the jeans. I stared at him; he shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Alice has rubbed off on me a little," he said, turning away from my closet. I laughed quietly, turning back to my closet. I grabbed a grey sweater, picking up the shirt and jeans as I started for the bathroom.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I said. Jasper was still standing facing the window; he looked over his shoulder at me.

"I should probably go," he said. I frowned. He smiled. "To come and pick you up."

"Right," I said, laughing. "I suppose it would look weird if you were to come downstairs with me later."

"Maybe just a little," he said, walking over to me and kissing the top of my head. "I'll be back in a half-hour?"

"I'll be ready," I said. He smiled, turning and striding to my window. I turned towards my door, even though I knew there was no way jumping from my window would hurt him, I still didn't think I'd be able to watch him jump.

I ran into the bathroom and changed quickly. I ran my brush through my hair and stared into the mirror. I frowned and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I even bothered throwing on a little make-up, something I very rarely did. I went back in my bedroom to grab a pair of shoes and my jacket and headed downstairs.

To my amazement, my mother was awake and cooking breakfast. Aden was sitting in his highchair, banging his spoon against the tray. She looked up in surprise. It wasn't terribly early, but she had probably expected that I'd sleep in past nine-thirty on a Sunday. She took in what I was wearing and stepped away from the stove, her hands moving to rest on her hips.

"What's the occasion?" she asked, speaking loud enough to be heard over Aden. She stared at the coat slung over my arm. It was a coat I'd gotten for Christmas from my grandmother. I had deemed it too nice to wear on any other day. My mother seemed to actually remember this fact. "That's the nice coat you got for Christmas, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, turning away to set the coat over one of the kitchen chairs.

"I thought you'd only wear on it special occasions," she said, moving forward to grab the spoon from Aden's hand. He let out a shout of protest, reaching out to take the spoon back.

"Jasper's taking me to meet his family today," I said, refusing to look her in the eye. "It sort of is a special occasion."

"You just started going out with this boy, Ashlyn," she said. I winced, she'd used my full name, and she never did that, not even when I was in trouble. I frowned, looking at her in confusion.

"Last night was the first time we actually went out somewhere," I said, turning to face her.

"Has something been going on for longer?"

"Sort of, yeah."

She opened her mouth again as the doorbell rang. I glanced behind my mother at the clock, I sighed in relief; Jasper was right on time. I grabbed my coat and slid my arms through the sleeves.

"We can continue this later, mother," I said, not bothering to mask my annoyance. "He's here and I don't want to keep him waiting." I turned and walked quickly from the room.

"Ashlyn, wait a minute!" I could hear her behind me, Aden still wailing for his spoon. I paused in front of the door. "At least let me meet him, for Christ's sakes!"

I stared at her in disbelief. She hadn't gotten dressed yet, that alone was reason enough. Her attitude added to it. She had never approved of any guy I'd gone out with, which was probably the main reason I hadn't really dated this year. Most parents would be kind enough to mask their dislike for the people their kids date, not my mother. She made it very obvious where she stood.

"I don't think so, mom," I said, opening the door. I stepped onto the porch and slammed the door behind me. Jasper seemed taken aback; I knew that he had heard everything and could feel everything my mother had been feeling. I stared at him for a second before walking silently to the familiar silver Volvo parked in the driveway.

"Your mother isn't too pleased about this," he said, sliding into the driver's seat. It wasn't a question, he already knew the answer.

"Can we just go?" I asked. "I really don't want to talk about my mother right now."

He nodded and backed out of the driveway, sending calming waves throughout the car. I glanced back at my house as we passed it. My mother was standing at the living room window, glaring right at the both of us. Jasper reached over to grab my hand. I looked over at him and smiled thankfully. I was not going to let my mother ruin the best thing that had ever happened to me.


End file.
